Breast Cancer
Today we dive more into this detrimental and lethal disease, we start by looking at its fate in males.
Breast cancer is commonly associated with women, but it can also occur in men. Although breast cancer is rare in men, its important to understand its impact and outcomes.
Breast cancer in men is relatively uncommon, accounting for less than 1% of all breast cancer cases. It is estimated that around 2,650 cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in men in the United States in 2021.
Some risk factors for male breast cancer include increasing age, family history of breast cancer, genetic mutations (such as BRCA2), and exposure to radiation, hormonal imbalances (e.g., high estrogen levels), liver disease, obesity, and certain genetic disorders.
Men with breast cancer may experience symptoms like a painless lump or thickening in the breast tissue, nipple retraction or discharge, skin dimpling or puckering, redness or scaling of the nipple or breast skin, or swollen lymph nodes under the arm. Diagnosis usually involves a physical examination, mammography, ultrasound, and a biopsy to confirm the presence of cancer.
The prognosis for male breast cancer varies depending on various factors, including the stage at diagnosis, tumor size, grade, hormone receptor status, and overall health of the individual. Generally, if detected early when the cancer is localized, the prognosis tends to be more favorable. However, if the cancer has spread to distant organs (metastasized), the prognosis becomes poorer.
Survival rates for male breast cancer are generally slightly lower compared to women. According to research from ACS, the 5-year relative survival rate for localized male breast cancer is around 96%, but it drops to approximately 27% for distant metastatic cases.
In conclusion, while breast cancer in men is rare, it can have significant consequences. Early detection, prompt treatment, and ongoing support are crucial for improving outcomes and raising awareness about this condition.
There are tools which are used to diagnose cancer to discover the type of cancer one has and these include;
- A physical exam, including a clinical breast exam (CBE). This involves checking for any lumps or anything else that seems unusual with the breasts and armpits.
- A medical history
- Imaging tests, such as a mammogram, an ultrasound, or an MRI
- Breast biopsy.
- Blood chemistry tests, which measure different substances in the blood, including electrolytes, fats, proteins, glucose (sugar), and enzymes. Some of the specific blood chemistry tests include a basic metabolic panel (BMP), a comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP) and an electrolyte panel.
If the above tests show that you have breast cancer, you will have tests that study the cancer cells. These tests help the health provider to decide which treatment would be best for you.
What is BRCA gene test?
A BRCA gene test uses a sample of your saliva (spit), blood, or cells from inside of your cheek to look for changes in your BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes (breast cancer susceptibility gene 1 and breast cancer susceptibility gene 2 respectively) that may increase your risk of cancer. Changes in your genes are variants or mutations however no all variants are harmful.
BRCA genes repair damaged DNA in your cells and protect you from getting certain types of cancer. If you have a harmful variant in your BRCA genes, they may not work properly. This increases your risk of getting cancer.
The most common cancers linked to harmful BRCA variants are:
Breast cancer: The increased risk of breast cancer mostly affects females. But the breast cancer risk for males who have a harmful BRCA variant is higher than for other males.
Ovarian cancer: This is cancer of the female reproductive glands where eggs form.
Prostate cancer: This is cancer of the male reproductive gland that makes fluid for semen.
Pancreatic cancer: This is cancer of the pancreas, an organ that helps you digest food and makes important hormones.
Not everyone who has a harmful variant in BRCA1 or BRCA2 will get cancer. And if you find out you have a harmful variant, you may be able to take steps to lower your risk and protect your health
BRCA genetic test is used to find out if you have harmful changes in your BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes that increase your risk of getting certain cancers, especially breast, ovarian, prostate, and pancreatic cancer.
Harmful BRCA gene variants are rare. So BRCA testing is not recommended for most people.
You and your family members are most likely to have a BRCA1 or BRCA2 variant if either side of your family has a strong history of breast or ovarian cancer. If you’re concerned that you may have a harmful variant in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene, your health care provider or a genetic counselor can review your personal and family healthy history to find out if a test is required.
It’s important to talk to your healthy provider about testing if your personal or family healthy history includes breast cancer especially; before age fifty, in male, in both breasts, triple negative breast cancer which has limited treatment options, including chemotherapy and/or surgery.
When you think about your family healthy history, consider all breast, ovarian, prostate, and pancreatic cancers on both sides of your family. And consider the health of your grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles, siblings, half siblings, nieces and nephews, and grandchildren.
During BRCA gene test;
A BRCA test can use either a sample of your blood, saliva, or a cheek swab.
For blood test: A health care professional will take a blood sample form a vein in your arm, using a small needle. After the needle is inserted, a small amount of blood will be collected into a test tube or vial. You may feel a little sting when the needle goes in or out. This usually takes less than five minutes.
For saliva test: You’ll spit into a container or use a cotton pad to soak up some saliva.
For a cheek swab: A health care professional will wipe the inside of your cheek with a small tool to remove some cells. You may have the option of doing it yourself.
An at-home set kit is available to buy without a prescription. It allows you to collect a saliva sample to send to a lab for testing. The test checks for the three most common harmful variants in BRCA genes. But there are more than 1000 known variants. So a home test can’t rule out the possibility that you have a variant. Ask your provider whether an at-home test is right for you.
In the process of preparing for any of these tests that is;
Saliva test; a half hour before the test, you may need to stop eating, drinking, or smoking. Follow all instructions your provider gives you or the instructions in a home kit.
For a cheek swap: You may be asked to rinse your mouth before the test.
What do the results mean?
Your provider or genetic counselor will need to explain how your results affect your risk for certain cancers. That’s because the meaning of your test results depends on the exact type of variant you have and your personal and family health history. Nevertheless, results may be reported as;
A negative (normal) result: Means that the test didn’t find any harmful changes in your BRCA genes. How this affects your cancer risk depends on whether you’ve already had cancer and whether a member of your family has a harmful BRCA variant.
An uncertain result: May also be called a “variant of uncertain significance (VUS)”. It means that a variant in your BRCA genes was found, but according to research it’s not clear whether that variant causes cancer.
A positive result: May also be called a “likely pathogenic variant.” It means that you have a harmful gene variant that is known to increase the risk of certain cancers. But the test cannot tell whether you will develop cancer.
NOTE:
If your results show that you have a harmful variant in your BRCA genes, talk with your provider about ways to lower your cancer risk. You may discuss:
Your schedule for cancer screening tests. Should you get tested for cancer sooner and more often than usual? These are important questions for adults who have harmful BRCA variant.
Taking certain medicines and/or having surgery to reduce the risk of cancer. Surgery may include removing both breasts and/ or the ovaries and fallopian tubes.
Let us look at HER2 (Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2) test:
This is a protein involved with the cell growth. It can be found on the surface of some breast cancer cells. The HER2 test is a diagnostic test used to determine the HER2 status of breast cancer tissue, usually obtained through biopsy or surgery, to detect the presence and level of HER2 protein expression.
It’s carried out in two major ways, that is;
Immunohistochemistry (IHC) measures the amount of HER2 protein on the surface of the breast cancer cells.
Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) which detects amplification or overexpression of the HER2 gene.
The results can be expressed as HER2-positive orHER2-negative.
HER2-positive breast cancer cells have an overexpression or amplification of the HER2 protein, indicating a higher likelihood of aggressive growth. This information is crucial for determining the most appropriate treatment options, as targeted therapies specifically designed to inhibit the HER2 protein can be used for HER2-positive breast cancer for example trastuzumab (Herceptin), pertuzumab (Perjeta), and adotrastuzumab emtansine (Kadcyla). These targeted therapies have significantly improved outcomes for individuals with HER2-positive breast cancer.
Lastly we shall look at an estrogen and progesterone receptor test.
The test measures the amount of estrogen and progesterone (hormones) receptors in cancer tissue. If there are more receptors than normal, the cancer is called estrogen and/or progesterone receptor positive. This type of breast cancer may grow more quickly.
Another step is staging the cancer . Staging involves doing tests to find out whether the cancer has spread within the breast or to other parts of the body. The tests may include other diagnostic imaging tests and a sentinel lymph node biopsy. This biopsy is done to see whether the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes.
TREATMENT
Surgery such as;
- A mastectomy; which removes the whole breast
- A lumpectomy to remove the cancer and some normal tissue around it, but not the breast itself.
Radiation therapy
Chemotherapy
Hormone therapy, which blocks cancer cells from getting the hormones they need to grow.
Targeted therapy, which uses drugs or other substances that attack specific cancer cells with less harm to normal cells.
Immunotherapy.
PREVENTION
Stay at a healthy weight
Limiting alcohol use
Getting enough exercise
Limiting your exposure to estrogen by
- Breastfeeding your babies if you can
- Limiting hormone therapy.
IT AFFECTS US ALL, LET US TAKE CAUTION BECAUSE IT HAS MADE US LOSE OUR LOVED ONES AND IT WILL TAKE MORE IF WE DON’T STAY VIGILANT.
COURTESY OF RAISING EMPOWERED FOUNDATION IN PARTNERSHIP WITH MT.KENYA TIMES
Compiled by: DR. JOSH EINSTEIN
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ TO GOD BE THE GLORY $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
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